A Mini Interview with Mikela Prevost

If you haven’t seen Mikela’s work before, reader beware! You will be blown away with her sense of design, her bold strokes and her colors. Have you seen how she handles figures? I know! It’s crazy! And because she’s such a super nice person, she’s giving away an original for this week’s Giveaway. Yes, like you read! An actual ORIGINAL so don’t forget to read below for details on how to enter.

I assume you have your coffee with you by now so read away! You are going to love her and her work by the end of question number 2. Enjoy!

About Mikela Prevost

Mikela Prevost is a children’s book writer and illustrator who happens to be a quite adept toy picker upper to her three children and lunch maker to her graphic designer husband. You can find her on Twitter and her website www.mikelaprevost.comWould you describe yourself in 5 words?

Nostalgic, observant, sarcastic, funny, creative.

Now tell us how you got started as a children’s author and illustrator in more than 5 words.

I always loved books as a child, especially the well illustrated ones. It wasn’t until I saw a cheesy HBO movie called “Running Mates” with Diane Keaton that plays a working children’s book illustrator that it really hit home the concept of actual living people making children’s books and not some half-human half-cyborg cranking out these illustrations from large ominous book manufacturing buildings, which I held to be the more likely source.

What was your favorite book as a child?

“Hippo Lemonade” by Mike Thaler. It’s an “I Can Read” book that is easy to overlook, but the expressions of the animals and dialogue were hysterical to me as a kid (still is). It was the one book I always got in trouble for reading after bedtime.

One lesson you have learned from working in this industry.

Stop being afraid. I think most people use the “I’m lazy (chuckle chuckle)” excuse instead of admitting they’re afraid to do something or make something happen. Making art is the easy part, it’s getting it noticed that takes guts.

The happiest moment of your career.

Getting my first paid Illustration gig. It was with a magazine called “Family Times”, and the AD was so gracious and patient with me. It was just so exciting to get paid to do what I set out to do.

What’s next for you?

I’d like to do more children’s books, it’s so fun to develop characters and be in their world for a time. I’d love to get into more editorial illustration, like the “New Yorker” or the “Economist” but that is just a matter of beefing up that part of my portfolio.

Mikela’s Giveaway

Mikela is giving an original illustration. Original is a 7″ x 7″, watercolor, acrylic and collage illustration. The winner will be randomly chosen from all entries, and announced Monday November 14, 2011.

Ways to enter:

Leave a comment below

Follow Mikela on Twitter @mikelaprevost and copy this retweet on your status:RT @mikelaprevost Enter to win an original illustration #giveaway

Part 2 of Mikela’s interview continues tomorrow at Molly’s blog. Part 3 will be posted Thursday at her blog and Part 4 will go live Friday Friday at Laura’s blog so follow the Post Trail!

And I love the interview. This in particular struck a chord: “Stop being afraid.”

I seriously need a tattoo of that on my forehead so I can remember it. I’ve always been a writer (I do that for a living) but just in the past two years have been embracing the colored-pencil part of me.

Mikela’s work is delicious. I love how she captures the emotions of the subjects. It’s so true…getting up and doing something is the hardest part. Thanks so much for doing this interview. I am having a great time looking at her website and ‘meeting’ her very interesting young subjects.I love the girls on the swings. I can hear the chains rattling and the words flying.